How do you play safe from A, and why, and what are your chances for success?
Same question from B.
Same question from B.
Safety Play - what do you do here?
- Thread starter Dan White
- Start date
In either case, you can play Crane's two-rail shot to skim the side of the rack to return to the end rail. This is much easier from B but I have played the shot from A.
A less risky play is to play one or two cushions to the back of the rack. B is easier because it allows an easy 1-rail path. As mentioned in the other thread, you have to move some balls a little out of the front of the rack to avoid the cheap lag return to the kitchen. When my opponents play the one-rail kick, they always hit it hard enough to get a ball to a cushion but no ball pops out of the back of the rack for me to shoot at nor does the cue ball slide off the rack into the open. I don't do that well on firm shots. Maybe I should practice hitting a specific ball at a specific spot.
One other detail in the modern 14.1 ecosystem....
Many opponents these days will have no idea how to respond to any of these safeties. This will allow you to get away with some safes that wouldn't work against more knowledgeable players. For example, if you don't disturb the balls at all on the one-rail kick, they may play the simple skim-the-rack shot to go to the side cushion which will probably leave a relatively easy return.
Many opponents these days will have no idea how to respond to any of these safeties. This will allow you to get away with some safes that wouldn't work against more knowledgeable players. For example, if you don't disturb the balls at all on the one-rail kick, they may play the simple skim-the-rack shot to go to the side cushion which will probably leave a relatively easy return.
Good point. I think the above is the norm. I've only seen one guy play a 2 rail back scratch so far.
If the 1 ball weren't there at the top of the pack, I'd probably play a safe into one of the next two balls (at least from A). Is it ever a good idea to play safe into the 1, like for example if the cue ball is in the exact center of the table? I've never had the nerve to shoot this shot but I think others have done it with success. Is it considered a sucker shot or a good safe?
From the middle of the table, I've shot straight into the head ball for a good safe many times. You have to hit the head ball dead on and it doesn't take too much speed to get a gall to the rail. Too much speed and the cue ball may slide off of the head ball and leave a shot.
Bob Jewett's point is crticial here. Even at pro level, you often see he wrong response to backscratches. Still, for the sake of learning, let's assume you are playing against a player who knows all the defensive counterplay.
From position A, I am familiar with the shot, mentioned by Rich R, to hit the front ball square but consider it too chancy. You'll need some reverse english to play the two rail back scratch accurately, but that's the best choice here. That shot requires practice to hit accurately.
Position B is much simpler. Hitting the one square to leave the cue ball frozen to the one and sending the five to the short rail is relatively simple here but you won't put any pressure on opponent with that shot. Both this shot and a one rail backscratch are perfectly acceptable here.
Finally, the Crane two rail kick safety would be a very poor choice in either position unless there are fouls involved here. It's chancy and, even if executed accurately, it leaves a backscratch as a response as, typically, no balls are loosened under the rack. In other words, it won't win the safety battle against a strong defesnive player but might lose it. Crane, whom I knew quite well, preferred this shot primarily when his opponent was on two fouls, as the backscratch response was, consequently, unavailable. That's when this shot won him the safety battle.
From position A, I am familiar with the shot, mentioned by Rich R, to hit the front ball square but consider it too chancy. You'll need some reverse english to play the two rail back scratch accurately, but that's the best choice here. That shot requires practice to hit accurately.
Position B is much simpler. Hitting the one square to leave the cue ball frozen to the one and sending the five to the short rail is relatively simple here but you won't put any pressure on opponent with that shot. Both this shot and a one rail backscratch are perfectly acceptable here.
Finally, the Crane two rail kick safety would be a very poor choice in either position unless there are fouls involved here. It's chancy and, even if executed accurately, it leaves a backscratch as a response as, typically, no balls are loosened under the rack. In other words, it won't win the safety battle against a strong defesnive player but might lose it. Crane, whom I knew quite well, preferred this shot primarily when his opponent was on two fouls, as the backscratch response was, consequently, unavailable. That's when this shot won him the safety battle.
Last edited: